Dance Of The Raven
by WhiteRose92
Summary: Rowen Daniels, a woman who's life seems insistent on carrying her through the unexplainable rivers of time, who's life continues to flip from one reality to the next, as she tries desperatley to find answers and understand her purpose, and her roots. But when it comes to facing her reflection, Rowen must decide who she can trust, or if she must stand alone!


**Dance of The Raven**

Rowen Daniels had never been your average teen. And as much as she would struggle to admit it, she hadn't grown into your average adult either. Recovering from her abusive past had been far from easy, and though her views on the world she lived in had shifted and changed as she had healed and grown. Her perception of the people within it had not. There had never been a friend to share the weight of Rowen's burden's, and whilst her demons sucked her dry it seemed nobody battered an eye. From day one, the young mixed raced Scot had been brainwashed into believing she would forever be alone, nothing but an insolent burden that nobody truly had the time for. A heart-breaking reality in which the twenty-seven-year-old had believed for most of her life. Though now upon her twenty-seventh year, finally facing the world before her for what it truly was. Rowan Daniels was finally beginning to feel ready to take back what was stolen from her. 

**CHAPTER ONE **

It had been a tough day, Rowen had visited the grave stone of her biological mother for the first time, it was as though she had cursed herself to once again live through the agonising pain of emotional death all over again.  
Age twenty-three, that was how old Rowen was when she began researching ways of finding her biological family. A painful and endless search that went on for what felt like a millennium. But through her persistence, Rowan Daniels found the bloodline in which she had been seeking, though blood she came to learn was not always thicker than water.  
Alone under the heavy grey clouds that grumbled angrily, sobbing wintery tears upon the small town of Huntly. Rowen had stood alone, the black hood covering her head of curly brown hair dribbled relentlessly, slowly giving up the fight against the endless downpour. With no idea what time it was, or why the loss of the woman she had never known had injured her so deeply, Rowan had eventually had to force herself to walk away.  
An hour later, her empty hotel room had greeted her with the pungent scent of dampness, a strange odour echoed from the bedsheets that reminded Rowen of her Grandfathers washing soap. A tinge of pain stalked across her body as she was reminded of his illness, a wound she was not yet ready to deal with. The orphan stray had no idea if she ever would be. It had been almost a year since the official diagnosis, kidney failure. The doctors had done all they could, but his body was struggling, and Rowan had had to accept that he was not going to get better.  
upon finding out, she had simply frozen. Her heart had cemented itself into a ball of frozen ice, her breath had created a blockage within her throat leaving her unable to talk. Almost a year later and it had not gotten any easier.  
But she was no longer in denial. After completing a ten-week course focused on recovering from past abuse, Rowen had then continued to see a psychologist for the remainder of the year, medication had come at a high price, at least for Rowan. It had taken every ounce of will within her body to force herself to accept the anti-anxiety medication, given as a means to aid her recovery with CPTSD.  
It was 10pm, and Rowen was confused with what she had done with the last few hours of her life. After getting back from the cemetery she had simply stared at the ceiling like a corpse. Though the fact that she knew it had only been 5pm when she had gotten back, confused Rowan greatly, but she was suddenly too tired to try and comprehend what had gone on.  
Turning on the alarm on her phone for 9am, and turning on the first film she came across on the small flat screen TV provided by the hotel. Rowen then prepared herself for sleep.

**The Raven's whisper – World within a world**

With most dreams, there is a distortion of time and reality, but for Rowen Daniels, things within her sleeping mind were always far more intense than that. From a young age, the young woman had been left to feel as though she lived two lives from two different realities, only neither could remain active at the same time as the other.  
So come the moment her eyes would close within the psychical world, they opened somewhere else entirely.  
The faint scratching of a ravens claws against her bedroom window awoke Rowen Daniels from her slumber. Though it wasn't the familiar grandfatherly scent of her hotel room that welcomed her, nor was it the soothing patter of wintery rain which Rowen had set as the tune for her alarm. Instead it was a cooling and unfamiliar breeze, accompanied by the hauntingly powerful sense of being watched.  
Sitting up right, Rowen Daniels could recognise that she was in a bed, but the question was where? And how had she gotten there? The old stone walls holding the room she was in together reminded Rowen of portraits of old mansions from hundreds of years ago, with its dark wood floor and occasional wooden panelling. It was like something out of a history museum. Further examining the room, Rowen noticed the view bellowing through a wide and partially open window, offering little light into the large room, with only one or two candle lit lamps surrounding the walls. Pulling herself to her feet, Rowen gently walked towards the view, taking in the extraordinary surroundings.  
"It's incredible isn't it!" came a voice from behind her. Rowen jumped around with such a fright that she almost fell over. Across the room stood a beautiful woman dressed in nothing but a simple white dress, dark silky hair flowed loosely down her spine, slightly bordering her elegant face. Piercing brown eyes gazed at Rowen, who felt increasingly anxious. Unable to speak, she simply stood there like a startled rabbit caught in the headlights, brief expressions of terror and anxiety danced across her face as though she were a broken emoji from an old phone. Yet rather than take offence or even amusement from the young woman's response, the mysterious stranger simply smiled.  
"You might not remember my face, but perhaps you might remember my name, … or at least one of them. You have known me as Mor'igan. Though many have come to pick and choose. In time you will come to remember. … Time will tell! … It is time for your story to be told young Rose, though much you have changed, your soul shall remain eternally the same! … Hear the call of the raven and you shall know!"  
And just like that, the mystical yet beautiful apparition within Rowan's dream began to fade away much like the rolling fog that dances upon the face of the loch.  
Star struck and lost for words, unable to process what she had witnessed. Rowen felt herself begin to slip away into herself, as dream and reality began to collide once more. "Morrigan" she whispered, before darkness enveloped her and carried her away from the sleeping land and into the living. 

Heavy eyelids slowly opening, followed by a squeaky yawn and overdramatic stretch. Rowen pulled herself up and proceeded to the small bathroom in her hotel room.  
"Good god!" she gasped as she stood before the small circular mirror! Facing her reflection sent Rowen's heart racing for a brief moment, as the colossal nest upon her head, (which had once been her hair) seemed to mimicking some sort of demonic monster! 'well at least if I ever find myself being burgled, I won't need a dog to scare them away' thought Rowan to herself.  
"Shower it is then!" she stated out loud, before examining the small bathroom for some sort of plug or switch that would turn the shower on.  
"Wow … wowmygod!" Gasped the twenty-seven-year-old dramatically, as she caught sight of a single white rose suddenly hanging from the handle of the bathroom door.  
'Today is not the day to lose your mind Rolo' instructed Rowan firmly within her mind.  
'It's just a rose …it's not like it came up in your dream or anything….and even if it did…. it's totally fine! Just chill…. breathe and chill! Your too young to go to the psych ward so just play it cool!' after finishing her internal speech, Rowan hid the single rose inside her suitcase and continued to prepare for her shower.  
thirty minutes later and Rowen was refreshed and ready to face the day. Once she had finished packing up her things, handed in the room key, and packed her car, she proceeded to drive to the nearest gas station to pick up some essential snacks for the six-hour drive back home to Scotland. After spending nearly five days in the small town of Preston, Rowen was more than ready for her hilly homely landscape.  
Snacks packed in the multiple slots within her car, phone connected to the charger with the sat nav ready for lift off, and most importantly, an extra-large flask of coffee to keep her going. Rowen was ready to go.  
Whilst minding her business, making sure her phone was set up correctly, Rowen remained completely oblivious to the ginormous midnight raven that had perched itself at the foot of her cars front window. Suddenly the strangest tapping shocked Rowen out of her own head, following the sound, she caught sight of the raven which was staring right at her.  
"What the!" she muttered shyly!  
As though time had frozen still, Rowen and the raven stared at each other silently, neither making any sudden movements. Out of nowhere, the raven let out an almighty caw, sending shockwaves through Rowan's entire body. Slightly jumping, she continued to watch the bird, as it slowly opened its wings, gracefully turned its head upwards, and took off like a midnight angel. 


End file.
